So, what’s home? That question has never been more pertinent, and it is a question that Ana, a young Croatian woman, asks as she settles in the UK.

Ana has been on a journey, and she’s arrived in the UK determined to make it home. As she focuses on life in this new land, she is haunted by the voice of her Grandma yearning for Ana to come home. As Grandma bakes her traditional Croatian pepper biscuits, (believed to bring a loved one back home), will this be enough to be reunited with her granddaughter?

Written by a Croatian playwright and performed by a Croatian actor, Pepper and Honey is a poignant, subtle and timely play about the journey of change, cultural differences, trying not to feel like a foreigner in your adopted country and the conflict between upholding the traditions of the ‘old country’ and embracing those of the new. Set on a remote Croatian island and dreaming about her granddaughter coming back.

Audiences often say they forget it is only one person on stage - the character transformations are central to this show, and are mesmerising! Audiences are invited to take part in the show through tasting and smelling foods and drinks offered, as well as through being invited to help with baking of Croatian pepper biscuits, shared at the end. These parts of the show are well received with lots of laughter!

The show is woven throughout with rich soundscape and evocative Croatian traditional music. We tour a full set with a live oven and offer on stage baking in front of the audiences - the scent of baking in a village hall is just wonderful! The recipe for Pepper Biscuits is shared with the audience at the end. The show is developed with non theatre spaces in mind and sits really well in rural communities.

Often, communities decide to organise a baking wrap up activity, and offer these goodies throughout the interval. Sharing this heart warming story now, when the impact of political divisions is keenly felt, is especially urgent. From our experience, the gentle nature of the show offers audiences a pleasant, uplifting experience of diving into another culture and another point of view, with eh reminder that we have far more in common than what divides us. The rural communities who welcomed us thus far loved the show for they felt it brought them truly together, celebrating the strong welcoming nature of their communities.

We are able to support promoters with a rick marketing package (press quotes, reviews, photographs, trailer, engagement activity, etc.) We are also able to offer captioned and audio described performances. The show also exists in a high quality digital format, equally engaging and offering audience participation especially made for theatre engagement through pandemic. We are able to offer this as additional option for community members who are unable to take part in a live event.

A new company to our menu but a classic theme of Home and what does it mean to family and to those who have stayed or left for pastures new. "It's great to have this show on our menu!" Steve Wilson, Artist Engagement Officer